Why does Ian Paisley look like a man with a mad dog on a leash with regards to the Stormont attack by Loyalist killer Michael Stone ? Why is this a great thing, appearing to be a real moderate by demonstrating to the public what a real Unionist looks like? What a great tactic to insure control of Stormont by implying that he is the only one to claim control of the radical unionist movement?

Has any one noticed that the Irish Government has returned to the silent lie? That the Stardust does not need to be investigated, because no new evidence was found by the non existent follow up investigations that never happened. That the nursing home reports are never publish so long as the bathroom tiles are fixed?

The fact that the Irish freedom of information act will postpone any evidence from from coming to light about this corrupt and incompetent government does not make the problems go away. Except for the ministers, who can continue to be unresponsive to their responsibilities to the public.

Time for a change, will an honest politician restore the Freedom of Information? Or will we continue to be governed in the dark?

Or will the press begin to ask the hard questions, and not bow to the governments requirements not to questions their decisions?

The lame duck Republicans are attempting to make the illegal violation of the 4th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, legal!

Republicans who limped back to Washington for a lame duck congressional session last week found a host of marching orders from President Bush, but perhaps none more urgent than this: Before Democrats take control of Congress in January, they must pass legislation authorizing the National Security Agency’s domestic eavesdropping program.

The real question will be how, even with the biased right wing Supreme Court, will you justify further violations to the constitution. How will Bush and his fellow future prisoners GOP republicans lie to convince the American public that being illegal is, really Legal?

Now that the Democrats are in control of congress, maybe we can do something that the Republicans were unwilling to do. Support the troops overseas.

And this is where I diverge from my usual subjects. Like Bernie Goldbach at IrishEyes I’ve had a previous life with the U.S. Government, both in the Military, and as a civilian.

Recently I have read about the soldiers in the field complaining about the weapons that they carry, in particular the venerable M-16. This is the mainstay of the U.S. Army (and troops elsewhere in the world) and is a unique Weapon of philosophy. And this is the nature of war, it often prescribes a weapons requirements.

The M-16, and bullet and cartridge that they use is designed for a type of war that is not the current norm. Let me explain, the M-16 utilizes a 5.56x45mm (.223 Remington) caliber bullet. This is a very small bullet, but it’s the reasoning behind this choice.

This bullet is intended to wound rather than kill.

The motivation behind this was the nature of warfare at the time. The thinking at the time, and the nature of the enemy lead military designers to the conclusion that a wounded enemy soldier consumed more enemy resources than a dead one. This follows that the enemy retrieves and cares for it’s wounded. It also is based on the idea that a wounded soldier would stop fighting and/or surrender if wounded.

This is not the current enemy, and the soldier in the field is finding this out, they are screaming out for the older and larger bullet of the M-14 a 30-06 (7.62x63mm). And while this is heavy and restricts the amount of ammunition that a soldier can carry, it has stopping power. A real killing bullet that is required for an enemy that chooses to die, and who will seek it out and will not be stopped by wounding and will not be deterred by the wounded. In the same issue, the M-16 has no penetration in a stone and mortar world or a metal car and light armored world, the M-14 will!

Hence the philosophy issue, warfare has changed, the weapons will have to change to prevent the soldier from loosing the battle before it begins. There are still plenty of battles before we withdraw from the mistake of Iraq. I only hope that the new congress will armor and arm, pay and support the soldier who defends the renewed democracy called America.

Where was this great uniter Bush over the last 6 years? Where was this great uniter, who’s favorite words were ‘My way, or the Highway’ Great words for a uniter that never was. And never will be.

When will we see the great uniter? Right after he vetoes his first documents from a Democratic Congress. Something, anything, that he doesn’t like, something, anything he can’t control. Then we will see the true colors of this ‘great uniter’, The only thing he knows, is how to divide, he who is really only a great divider?

Looks like I’ll be watching the U.S. elections for the next few hours, but it’s more interesting watching the betting on the Senate and house Races I’m just hoping that the betting that shows the Senate remaining in GOP hands is wrong, and the both the Senate and House pass into Democratic control.

If a builder builds a house, and constructs it well, the owner will pay two shekels for each surface of the house.
If, however, he does not succeed, and the house falls in, killing the owner, the builder will be killed.
If the son of the owner dies, the son of the builder shall be killed.

In my previous post the Business community has sought to roll back the commonsense of such laws. Laws incorporated in the U.S. Constitution, the Magna Carte and even the Bible.

Big business has sought for years to create the power and privilege of ‘The Corporate Body’ or the right of the Corporation to have, and exercise, the same rights as a person. Now they are seeking to make that person, that corporate person, greater than a living person. That when they build a building and it kills the owner that they are exempt from punishment. And that when Enron collapsed the Corporate Body is not responsible. Only the maker of the bricks, should be killed.

And the Code that was once written in stone (now on that ‘god dammed piece of paper’ of the U.S. Constitution) president Bush and the GOP, the ‘defenders’ of this document are continuing it’s destruction by agreeing with this mindset. They believe that corporations are godlike, and are above the law. In that case we should not condem the Government, we should condemn the brick-maker, Bush, for the crimes of a collapsing United States?